Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Wants Out of Prison to Help Coronavirus Research

By R.J. Johnson - @rickerthewriterApr 8, 2020

Jury Deliberations Continue In Martin Shkreli Securities Fraud Trial

Former drug company CEO Martin Shkreli, also known as the 'Pharma Bro' says he wants to do his part in the fight against the coronavirus.

Shkreli's defense attorney,Ben Brafman, says he intends to file a request with the court that asks federal authorities to release Shkreli for three months so he can do research on the novel coronavirus, NBC News reports.

Shkreli, who was convicted of securities fraud in 2018 and sentenced to seven years in federal prison, would conduct laboratory work on the virus "under strict supervision," Brafman says.

"I have always said that if focused and left in a lab, Martin could help cure cancer," Brafman said in a statement. "Maybe he can help the scientific community better understand this terrible virus."

Shkreli posted a research proposal online, in which he called the government's response to COVID-19 "inadequate" adding that every researcher at drug companies around the country should be working on COVID-19 until the virus was "no more."

In his proposal, Shkreli wrote that his experience as a "successful two-time biopharma entrepreneur" would make him a valuable asset to the research community. Shkreli cited his success in purchasing multiple pharmaceutical companies and having invented "multiple new drug candidates."

"I am one of the few executives experienced in ALL aspects of drug development," he said. Shkreli also said that he didn't expect to "profit in any way, shape or form from coronavirus-related treatments."

The 'Pharma Bro' is currently serving seven years at a low-security prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania after he was convicted of financial crimes in 2018. He rose to notoriety after purchasing the rights to a life-saving drug back in 2014 and raising the price of it from $13.50 per pill to $750 per pill.

Photo: Getty Images

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